Life Admist the Ashes
by Pudding Dragon
Summary: Three lost souls struggle with the aftermath of a war that has robbed them of families and friends. When all they have left is each other, Harry, Hermione, and Luna have to move forward, because no matter how much they wish they could, they can't go back. Together, they will become a family. A two shot for now, but will eventually be continued.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note – this story begins in the aftermath of the final battle (a.k.a. Battle of Hogwarts).

Also note that this story will contain disturbing and/or adult themes. If this offends you, feel free to read something else. You have been warned.

**I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER **(duh)

"speech"

"_thought"_

**Chapter 1. – The Price of Victory.**

Ronald Weasley was dying. The wounds he received during his battle with Fenrir Grayback refused to stop bleeding and were resisting both magical healing and mundane bandages. He had lost too much blood, and his friends were just trying to make his last moments as comfortable as possible.

"Her-Hermione," Ron said, his voice shaking with effort of speaking.

"I'm here Ron," the witch in question told him, taking his hand in hers.

"I love you, 'Mione," he said weakly, reaching up to stroke her face.

"I love you too, Ron," she told him, tears in her eyes, before leaning down to kiss him gently.

Ron returned her kiss, then looked over at Harry, "Take care of – take care of her for me, will you mate?"

"I will, I promise," Harry assured his best friend of seven years.

"Thanks Harry," Ron replied, "I owe you one."

Ron kissed Hermione once more, before settling back down, resting between his friends. They held his hands as he went cold.

"_What was the point of it all?"_ Harry thought to himself. _"Voldemort's gone, but so is everyone else."_

It had been two days since Voldemort had died, and Harry was sinking into a depression. So many of his friends had died in the last battle; Neville, Remus and Tonks, Colin Creevey, Lavender Brown, and even Snape. The Weasleys had hit him hardest, though. The entire family of nine had been killed, robbing him of both his best friend and his girlfriend.

"What do we do now?" Harry asked, not expecting an answer. "How do things go back to normal after all this?"

"You can't go back, Harry," came a familiar dreamy voice, "you can only go forward."

Harry turned to the new arrival with a sad smile.

"You always know just what I need to hear, don't you Luna?" he said. "It's good to see you."

"I enjoy seeing you too, Harry," Luna replied as she sat down next to him, looking over the lake.

After a moment's companionable silence, Harry tentatively asked, "Have you heard from your dad yet?"

"He's dead, Harry," she replied. "I found out this morning. The Death Eaters sent him to Azkaban, and he died there."

Although she said it in the same matter of fact tone and dreamy voice that she said everything, Harry could see the tears in her eyes at this statement, and acting on impulse, he pulled her into a hug.

"I'm so sorry, Luna," he told her, "it's my fault, if you hadn't tried to help me, then–"

"It's not your fault, Harry," Luna told him. "Daddy wanted to fight, and his paper was the only weapon he had. It's not your fault."

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Harry asked, unwilling to let go of his guilt so easily.

Luna paused a moment, hesitating before she spoke, "I'm supposed to go into Gringotts tomorrow to settle Daddy's debts, would, if it's not too much trouble, would you come with me?"

Harry turned to look at Luna. He had never heard her sound unsure about anything before. Clearly there was more going on here that he wasn't seeing.

"Of course I'll go with you Luna," he told her. "Ever since we met, you've been there when I needed you, of course I'll go with you."

"_That way I can find out what's wrong," _he thought to himself.

Even if it was only momentarily, even if it turned out to be nothing, Harry Potter had a purpose in life again.

"Hey Hermione," Harry said. "How's everyone?"

Hermione looked up from where she had been brewing healing potions.

"I think we've helped everyone who can be helped," she said. "The seriously injured are all stabilized so we're just waiting for the go ahead to transport them to St. Mungo's. How about you Harry? How are you holding up?"

"As well as can be expected, I suppose," Harry said with the sad smile that he wore so frequently the last couple of days. "I just talked to Luna."

"Did she find anything out about her father yet?" Hermione asked.

"He's gone," Harry said sadly. "He died in Azkaban. Luna has to go to London tomorrow to settle his debts. She asked if I would go with her. She seemed really scared about something."

"Of course she was scared!" Hermione snapped. "She has to settle her father's debts! Do have any idea what that implies?"

"No, not really," Harry told her. "Do wizards still have debtors' jail or something?"

Hermione sighed. "No Harry," she said softly, "it's worse than that. If someone buys up her debts, then – depending on how much Mr. Lovegood owed – she'll basically be their slave. Why do you think Crabbe and Goyle followed Malfoy around? But it's worse for witches, Harry. Historically, buying up debts has been used as a way to force witches into marriage, or to become a mistress."

At this, Harry's blood ran cold. "No," he stated with an air of absolute finality. "I will not let that happen to Luna. No way in hell."

The next morning saw Harry and Luna walking the road to Hogsmeade together, hand in hand. The blonde Ravenclaw was understandably nervous, so Harry took it upon himself to reassure her.

"Don't worry," he told her, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze. "I won't let anything happen to you, I promise."

"Thank you, Harry," Luna said, leaning against him as they walked. "You're a good friend."

"So are you Luna," he told her. "Sometimes I think that you're the only one who ever understood me. I wish…" he trailed off, looking thoughtful.

"You wish what, Harry?" Luna asked, looking at him curiously.

"I wish I'd met you sooner," Harry said. "I wish I'd been there to help you more. I wish I'd done a lot of things differently."

""You can't go back, Harry," she said repeating what she had told him the day before, "you can only go forward."

"I'm going to go forward," he told her. "I'm going to take care of the friends that I have left. You and Hermione both, you've always been there for me through everything, and you've always trusted me and never doubted me."

Luna simply smiled at him and said nothing. They finished their walk in companionable silence, until they passed beyond the anti-apparition wards surrounding Hogwarts, at which point they disappeared with a sharp crack of displaced air, reappearing in a similar manner in front of the front steps of Gringotts.

They walked in, and Harry approached one of the tellers. If he was going to help Luna, he had to see what his resources were.

"Excuse me," Harry said, "I'm here with my friend to settle the Lovegood accounts. But as we seem to be a bit early for our meeting in that regard, I'd like a quick estimate of my own assets, if that's alright."

The goblin looked up, and upon realizing who it was, spoke, "Ah, Mr. Potter, we've been attempting to contact you in regard to your inheritance from the late Mr. Black. You'll be happy to know that the question of the Black estate has finally been resolved, and in your favor. If you'll wait in the third reception room, a representative will be with you shortly. Gutrip will take you there."

At this, he gestured to another goblin, who bowed to Harry, before saying, "This way please, you may bring your lady friend if you like."

Harry thanked him, unsure what was happening and blushing slightly at Gutrip's implication, then went over to where Luna was waiting. A quick explanation later, and they were both following Gutrip down a hallway to a small room with a table and several straight-backed chairs. After a few minutes, the door opened and an older goblin that walked with a slight limp let himself in.

"Ah, Mr. Potter," he said, as he sat down across from Harry and Luna, "forgive me for keeping you waiting. I am Steelheart, Gringotts' official representative for inheritance disputes."

"Actually, sir," Harry told him, "I was unaware that there was any inheritance dispute. Sirius already left me Number 12 Grimmauld Place, didn't he?"

"Yes he did, Mr. Potter," Steelheart said, "as did he leave you the balance of his personal savings. However, his will also stated that he left you the majority of the Black family estate. This was contested by the Malfoy family, who claimed that Sirius had no right to leave you anything, as he had been cast out of the family, and that the Black estates should go to his cousin Narcissa Malfoy. However, the Malfoys' claim has been has been dismissed due to the criminal charges that they currently face. As such, the Last Will and Testament of Sirius Black can now be carried out without interference."

Fifteen minutes and many signatures later, Harry found himself almost two million galleons richer. It turned out that the Black family's assets were worth just short of three and a half of a million galleons. Of this, Sirius had willed roughly half a million to "his favorite cousin" Andromeda Tonks – "in hopes that she retire somewhere pleasant" – with similar portions going to Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks – on the condition that "they stop making excuses and go out on a date" – which would placed in trust until their son Teddy came of age. The remainder had gone to Harry. While the majority of this was not in the form of liquid funds, it was still more money than Harry had ever imagined having. He was not obscenely wealthy like the Malfoys, but he had enough to settle down and live comfortably for several lifetimes.

As they left the meeting with Steelheart, Harry was abuzz with confidence as he planned how to use his new wealth to care for his friends. He would pay off Luna's debts, then invite her and Hermione to stay with him at Grimmauld Place. Between the three of them they could probably even make the place pleasant. After that, they would finish their schooling (seeing as how he and Hermione had missed their final year and Luna had spent a large portion of hers being held captive by Voldemort).

Luna, on the other hand, was still nervous. She didn't know how much her father had owed, and if she couldn't find a way to pay, she would wind up indentured, a slave in all but name – possibly a sex slave. The fact of her father's death had yet to sink in. It all didn't seem real; part of her kept expecting him to wander out of a closet claiming that he'd been locked in by nargles. On top of that, she was painfully aware of being underground, and it was bringing back memories that she would rather forget of her enforced stay at Malfoy Manor. The only thing keeping her from sheer terror was the raven haired teen beside her. Harry had promised that he wouldn't let anything happen to her, and she trusted Harry with her life, almost literally in this case. Not that she expected him to pay her debts for her, they weren't his responsibility even if were possible for him to do so, but she simply knew that he would help her get through this somehow.

Hermione had been helping the injured almost nonstop since the battle ended, trying desperately to keep from having to remember that Ron was dead. So when she woke up feeling nauseous and discovered that she had slept to nearly noon, she assumed it was the result of stress and exhaustion. However, being the thorough person that she was (she refused to admit to obsessive compulsive, even to herself), she cast a quick diagnostic charm that would tell her the exact state of her body…whereupon she dropped her wand in shock. After casting the spell three more times and getting the same result each time, she curled up on her bed and began to cry.

"Oh Ron," she sobbed. "What am I going to do?"

As she cried, one hand went down to caress her belly, which she now knew carried her dead lover's child.


	2. Chapter 2

**Made a few minor edits to the first chapter, you probably won't even notice the difference, but I think it flows a little better. Will probably go back and do the same to this chapter after I post it. Whatever.**

Author's Note – this story will contain disturbing and/or adult themes. If this offends you, feel free to read something else. You have been warned.

**I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER **(duh)

"speech"

"_thought"_

**Chapter 2. – Trust, Fear, and Insights.**

Harry and Luna entered another meeting room, and Harry wondered, not for the first time, just how large Gringotts really was. In addition to the Gringotts goblin overseeing the case, there was another wizard in the room who looked to be in his mid thirties, who Luna recognized as one of her father's primary creditors. When the goblin, apparently named Splitbone, asked for all present to state their business, he claimed to be interested in acquiring the rights to _The Quibbler_. However, given that he hadn't stopped ogling Luna since she and Harry had entered the room, both teens held no illusions as to his true motives, and Harry gave Luna's hand a reassuring squeeze when she flinched under the man's lecherous gaze.

As Splitbone read off the list of Mr. Lovegood's debts (which totaled up to 687 galleons, 13 sickles, and 4 knuts), Harry ran over the plan he and Luna had formed. Initially, Harry had panicked when he learned that he couldn't simply pay off Luna's debts for her. Apparently wizards' debts were a form of magical contract, so even if Harry had paid them, her debt would simply transfer to him, and the bindings would enslave her to his will until the magic decided that she had rendered services of sufficient value. There was, however, one loophole that they could exploit, though Luna had been reluctant at first.

"Miss Lovegood," Splitbone rasped, snapping Harry back to the present, "you must now settle these debts, or you will be forced to render service until the magic of the contracts is satisfied. Have you a method to settle your debts, or will you forfeit your freedom and serve indenture?"

Luna gulped. Harry had, just moments before, literally begged her to accept his help, but she still felt as though she was taking advantage of him and abusing their friendship. But her only other option was to become a servant – and by extension a whore – of the revolting little wizard leering at her from across the table, so it wasn't as if she really had any choice.

"I, Luna Lovegood, hereby propose a method to settle the debts of my family," she recited formally, the usual dreamy quality absent from her voice. She rose from her chair, then turned and kneeled in front of Harry.

"I, Luna Lovegood, last survivor and heiress of House Lovegood, do offer myself in vassalage to Harry Potter," she intoned.

Harry stood as he spoke his half of the ritual, "I, Harry Potter, last survivor and heir to House Potter, accept your vassalage. Let the vows be exchanged."

Both teenagers drew their wands. Luna, still kneeling, laid hers across her palms and held it up as if offering it to Harry.

"I, Luna Lovegood, do swear my loyalty to Harry Potter. I vow to aid him in all endeavors, to support him in all interests, to always heed his call, and to stand beside him in his hour of need. So mote it be," She recited.

Harry laid his wand on Luna's shoulder as though he were knighting her, and said, "I, Harry Potter, do accept the loyalty of Luna Lovegood. I vow to share her burdens, to shelter her from hardship, to protect her from danger, and to stand beside her in her hour of need. So mote it be."

Harry and Luna felt a jolt of power as their magic reacted to their oaths, sending forth a visible surge of energy between them in the form of a golden lightning bolt.

Harry turned to Splitbone and the gaping wizard.

"I believe that as Luna's liege lord, I am within my rights to settle her outstanding debts," he said as imperiously as he could. "It would not do for my vassal to have divided loyalties, after all."

"I protest!" the older wizard shouted. "What kind of vows were those? Those weren't proper Oaths of Vassalage; they were just promises to be friends! She didn't even swear a vow of obedience, just loyalty! If you think you can just sweep in here with outdated laws and sweep her debts under the rug, then you–"

"Are absolutely correct," Splitbone interrupted. "Yes, the terms of her vassalage are…generous," he said, giving the impression that it physically pained him to say the word, "but there are no legal standards for Oaths of Vassalage, so their vows are valid and legally binding."

Splitbone opened a folder and withdrew several forms, glancing over them briefly before passing them to Harry.

"As you stated earlier, Mr. Potter, you are within your rights to settle the debts of a sworn vassal," Splitbone told him. "If you will simply sign these forms, the appropriate amount will be withdrawn from your vaults."

Harry signed the forms quickly, then took Luna's hand and walked out of the room. Once they were alone in the halls, Luna sagged onto Harry's shoulder.

"Thank you, Harry," she whispered, the fear that she had been feeling obvious in her voice. "I don't think I could have gotten out of that without you."

Harry pulled Luna into a hug, gently rubbing her back as he comforted her. "Luna, I should be thanking you, I owe you more than I can ever repay," he told her. "You've always stood by me, no matter how dangerous it was. You're the one who told me how to find the diadem, if you hadn't been there, I wouldn't have been able to destroy it and Voldemort would have killed me. You've fought by my side, but more than that you've always been there for me afterward, and you always knew just what to say to me to inspire me and give me hope. You're the one who was always there to remind me what I was fighting for, and why it was worth the fight. Without you, I seriously doubt I would still be sane."

Luna looked up at Harry. There were tears in her eyes, but she looked happy, happier than Harry had seen her since before Dumbledore's death. It was as though some of the weight of the past year had lifted from her shoulders.

"Thank you Harry," she whispered. "Thank you for being such a good friend."

"Thank you Luna," he countered. "Thank you for trusting me enough to let me help you."

"I trust you, Harry," Luna told him, while mentally elaborating, _"You've no idea how much I trust you, Harry. If it's to you, I don't mind being oath bonded. I know you'll never abuse me."_

Luna studied Harry's face as they left the bank. _"No,"_ she reflected, _"you would put yourself under the Cruciatus before you would willingly cause me pain. For you, Harry, I would have sworn an oath of obedience if you had wanted me to, but you would never want to take away my freedom. And it is because you would never ask for my obedience that I give it to you freely, vow or not."_

Harry and Luna apparated outside the Hogwarts grounds, where they were surprised to be met by a distraught Hermione.

"Harry," she cried, wrapping her arms around his neck and beginning to cry into his shoulder.

The boy in question, already emotionally exhausted by all the comforting of girls he seemed to be doing today, was forced to gird his metaphorical loins and wade back into the fray.

"Hermione, what's wrong?" he asked, as he returned her hug with one of his own. If Hermione was this upset, it usually meant someone was injured badly.

"It wasn't supposed to be like this," she said, tears running her face, "I don't, I don't know what to do! Harry, I'm scared!"

"_So am I, now,"_ Harry thought, allowing himself a brief mental snark as he tried to figure out what was wrong with his normally calm and collected friend. "What's happened, Hermione?" he asked, gently but firmly taking hold of her shoulders.

"Harry, me and Ron, we, and I thought, and," Hermione gushed, her butchery of the English language revealing the extent of her distress, before finally blurting out, "I'm, I'm pregnant, Harry!"

Harry felt as though his brain had just been hit by a freight train. "Wha-what?" he stammered.

As he stood there gaping, Luna took advantage of the moment to chime in, in her unique deadpan manner, "Congratulations."

Luna's remark snapped Harry back to reality. "You're sure?" he asked.

Hermione nodded. "I cast the spell three times," she said. "Oh, Harry, what am I going to do?"

Harry hugged her again. "WE," he said, emphasizing the plurality of the word, "are going to calm down and deal with this rationally. First, we are going to go back to the castle and eat lunch. Then, we are going to see Madam Pomfrey as soon as possible and find out what is and isn't safe for you to do. Then, we are going to begin the arduous task of baby proofing Grimmauld Place. Now, let's go."

With that, Harry took Hermione's hand in his left, Luna's in his right, and began to walk back to Hogwarts.

After a few minutes, a much calmer Hermione said, "I'm sorry for panicking like that, Harry."

"It's all right," he assured her. "From what I've heard, that's a pretty common reaction."

"Really, though Harry, it's not your responsibility," she argued, "I had no right to dump my problems on you, and you're talking about inviting me to stay with you–"

"I had planned on inviting you and Luna to stay with me anyway," Harry replied "until things settle down, at the very least. You're my friend Hermione; did you really think I would let you go through something this huge by yourself when I can help you?"

"Besides," he said added, becoming much more subdued, "I promised Ron I'd look after you."

Luna, perhaps trying to steer the conversation away from tragic topics – or perhaps not, who could tell with Luna – asked Hermione, "Do you know how far along you are?"

"Not very," Hermione replied, then blushed as she continued, "Ron and I weren't…intimate…until after we escaped Malfoy Manor, so the window of possibility is pretty narrow. I hadn't noticed anything until this morning either, so it must be recent."

After returning to the castle – and enjoying the magnificent picnic lunch that the surviving house elves served on the lawns – the three had asked Madam Pomfrey if they could speak with her privately. As most of the seriously injured had been taken to St. Mungo's and those who remained were stable and awaiting transfer to the same, the elderly witch was able to see them in one of the empty classrooms in the portions of the castle that were still standing, where they explained the situation.

With a few more advanced diagnostic charms, Madam Pomfrey confirmed that Hermione was only three weeks into her pregnancy, and explained all the things that were and weren't safe to do while pregnant, while somehow managing to be extremely kind and express extreme disapproval and disappointment at the same time. Hermione had taken notes on everything Madam Pomfrey said – something Harry had an urge to tease her about, but refrained from due to the sneaking suspicion that he would find himself dependent on those notes in the months to come. Instead he called Kreacher, and informed him that he and his friends would be staying at Grimmauld Place for the foreseeable future, and that Hermione was expecting – a prospect which elicited surprising amounts of emotion from the old elf.

"So long," Kreacher muttered to himself, looking almost teary eyed, "so long since Kreacher has cared for a child. Kreacher must prepare the nursery, yes he must…"

Kreacher disapparated, still muttering to himself, leaving Harry and Hermione somewhat bemused by the old elf's eccentricities. Luna, of course, seemed completely unfazed.

"Mr. Potter!" the sharp voice of Minerva McGonagall rang out, calling Harry away to talk to her and Kingsley Shacklebolt, who had stepped into the power vacuum and assumed the position of Acting Minister for Magic, until a formal election could be held. Kingsley had announced that he intended to run, and it seemed likely that he would soon hold the position of Minister on a permanent rather than temporary basis. Harry went to speak to the two older magic users, promising the girls that he would return momentarily.

"It's nice isn't it," Luna said, not seeming to be directing the statement to anyone in particular.

"What's nice, Luna?" Hermione asked.

"To be able to build a new life," Luna answered.

"Oh," Hermione said, then gasped as she realized something.

"Luna, I never asked how it went for you and Harry at Gringotts!" she exclaimed. "I was so caught up in my own problems and – no never mind, just tell me how it went. Are you alright? Did you find a way to pay to for your father's debts? What happened?"

"I feel kind of bad about it," Luna said, "Harry was begging me to let him help, but I still feel like I took advantage of him."

"You mean he paid for you?" Hermione asked. "But, I thought a wizard's debt couldn't be paid by anyone else?" She gasped as another thought occurred to her, "You're not indentured to him now, are you?"

"I sore Oaths of Vassalage to Harry," Luna said. "It's legal to pay off the debts of your vassals, and this way I only had to swear loyalty to Harry, instead of being bound to serve him. Although…"

"What?" Hermione asked.

"I don't know that I would've minded serving Harry," Luna said, looking thoughtful. "He's so kind, he would never abuse me."

Hermione looked up sharply. "Do, do you fancy him?" she asked carefully.

Luna smiled at Hermione. "I suppose I left myself open," she commented, before admitting, "Yes, Hermione, I do."

"How long?" Hermione asked, unsure what to make of this new development.

"I'm not sure," Luna said dreamily. "I realized it when he asked me to Professor Slughorn's Christmas party. When he asked me I felt wonderful, then he said 'just as friends' and it broke my heart. That was when I knew that Harry would never be 'just a friend' to me. Maybe he never was. Ginny was kind to me, but Harry was the first to really accept me and not just put up with me. I'll always love him for that."

"Does he know how you feel?" Hermione asked, a little overwhelmed by Luna's confession.

"No," Luna said casually, "I could never tell him before, but maybe now…" She seemed to pause, and give it a moment's thought, before deciding, "No, not yet."

"Why not?" Hermione asked, intrigued by Luna's answer.

Luna turned to look at Hermione, her wide grey eyes unusually intense. "Because it's not enough to love someone," she said, "you have to be able to be happy together. Even if they were thick about it a lot of the time, Harry and Ginny cared for each other, and I cared about them both. If I had come between them, no one would have been happy."

Hermione was struck, not for the first time, at just how perceptive and intelligent Luna really was, if one was able to look past her strangeness. She was called the brightest witch of their generation, but sometimes she felt that the odd little Ravenclaw completely eclipsed her in terms of sheer brilliance.

"Besides," Luna continued, seemingly oblivious to Hermione's reflections, "I don't think Harry and Ginny would have lasted. Harry is larger than life; he overshadows anyone associated with him without meaning to. Ginny was much too independent for that – she wouldn't have been able to live in Harry's shadow, no how much she loved him."

Hermione, again struck by Luna's insight, asked, "So what now then? Are you going to pursue him now?"

"Not yet," Luna said. "He's hurting from Ginny's death, and honestly, so am I. Neither of us are ready yet. But I can wait. Time heals all wounds, and now that Voldemort is dead, we have all the time in the world."


End file.
